Follow us on Google Discover Johnson Wagner has suggested that playing in the same group as Scottie Scheffler is becoming an issue for those on the PGA Tour, with the crowds largely focused on the world number one.
Scheffler played the 3M Open for the first time in his career this past week. It was a surprise to see the 30-year-old involved the week after The Open Championship.
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However, he was clearly in no mood to simply go through the motions at TPC Twin Cities. Scheffler ended up finishing second to Jackson Koivun.
Of course, it was his fifth second place of the season.
Johnson Wagner amazed by the crowds following Scottie Scheffler at the 3M Open
Scheffler is not someone who craves the limelight. He would quite clearly love nothing more than to practice and play while having nothing to do with all of the other things that come with being the best on the planet.
Unfortunately, he is now considered a superstar, as Johnson Wagner has learned this season.
Speaking on Scorecard about the fans who attended the 3M Open, Wagner explained that the amount of interest in Scheffler actually threatened to have a negative impact on those he was playing with.
Photo by Andrew Wevers/Getty Images
“The crowds were outstanding all week long. He teed off, it was pretty darn early on Thursday, and there were reports of 10 to 15,000 people out there following him, getting to see him for the first time,” he said.
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“What I’ve noticed this year, especially how many times I’ve walked with him, he is the draw. It is ridiculous. Brian Harman played with him Sunday, and Brian just needed to get the honour, because I think the whole back nine he was teeing off second. And once Scottie hits, people are moving down the fairway.
“Harman backed off multiple times, I think it was on 11, it was a couple of other tee shots, he had to back off of tee shots because of the crowd. And then if Scottie made a putt and Harman’s got five feet for par of whatever, he’s inside him, it was brutal.
“And it’s just like it was playing with Tiger. I couldn’t imagine playing in the group in front of them, or in the group behind, because it’s just people either swarming the greens or scattering. But the crowds were amazing.”
How players used to cope with playing with Tiger Woods as the crowds go crazy for Scottie Scheffler
Scheffler would probably be the first to step in if he felt that his presence was forcing the crowds into behaving in a way that upset his playing partner.
But he is such an incredible competitor that those he is paired with probably do go into each round with a game plan for how to handle the occasion.
As Wagner notes, it was a similar story with Tiger Woods when the 15-time major champion was at the peak of his powers.
Woods had the galleries eating out of the palm of his hand, and it seems that the atmosphere got to some players.
In fact, Adam Scott once claimed he turned his back to Woods whenever he was playing his shots because he was so intimidated by the American.
Scheffler seems to be a very different character to Woods. But there is no question that they have both come with a fear factor when they prowl the fairways.
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